“The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both” (Proverbs 20:12).

There is design in the creation of the body. Aside from the esthetic beauty of two ears and one mouth (as opposed to one ear and two mouths) there is a divine message in the hearing ear and the seeing eye. The Lord has made the body in such a way that we should use our hearing and our seeing before we use our mouths.

THE HEARING EAR. It seems that many people hear with their ears but do not hear with their ears. Elihu said the “ear tests words as the palate taste food” (Job 34:3). Jesus exhorted, “He who has an ear let him hear” (Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). God designed the ear that it should be used for hearing more than just sound but the ability to discern what is being said in harmony with a sound mind. James gets to the root of the problem when he writes, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20). We like to be slow to hearing and swift to speaking! Taking time to be holy is taking time to listen twice as long as we speak. Someone said that God has given man two hears to hear more than we speak.

THE SEEING EYE. Learning to listen comes from training the eye to see and hear. As the ear is closed to listen the eye is open to gain a foothold in the pride of the heart. Righteousness requires the eye to be trained to discern the right things to say. The Lord designed the eye to see clearly the needs of others. Jesus looked upon people with compassion and His eyes were always seeking the good that could be found in them. “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). The seeing eye of Jesus was upon the needs of the people. They eye is important to the ear so that we can listen and perceive how to help others.

THE HEARING EAR AND THE SEEING EYE. The body has been designed in perfection (Psalm 139:14). Ears serve to take in sound as the eye unveils the needs before us that will be blessed when the mouth opens in truth. With two ears and two eyes the mouth should be outnumbered. The tongue becomes unruly (James 2) when we use the mouth more than the ear and the eye. Let’s learn to listen with our ears and see with our eyes so that when the mouth is engaged it will only speak what we have heard and what we have seen. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer” (Psalms 19:14).